And Maybe He's In Love With Her
by Teddy R. Lupin
Summary: "But what she says is the last thing he expects, and for the first time he thinks, maybe he's in love with her." Begin the Begin episode tag, Denny Duquette and Izzie Stevens. A conversation that might've happened.


Hey! So I guess I recently discovered Grey's Anatomy and the one thing I fell in love with more than anything was the relationship between Denny Duquette and Izzie Stevens. I'm not sure why. There was something about him that attracted me, and something about her that I just inherently loved, so here's this little thing. Izzie was written majorly by a friend of mine, but Denny's dialogue and thoughts are all mine. So I hope you (if anyone's out there, reading this) enjoy, anyway!

Episode tag for 2x13, "Begin the Begin." A scene that may have happened.

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He's about halfway through his book of interesting places to see when she enters his room for the third time that day. He knows it's her, without even looking up. He can't explain why, but he just does. So he's not all that surprised when he hears her voice.

"What are you reading?" And though he hasn't exactly been a private person, Denny can't help but think that maybe, just maybe, she's crossing the line. "Sorry, I don't mean to intrude, but I need to check your vitals again Mr. Duquette." He's not sure if that's just an excuse, or if maybe she really does need to check his vitals and this time he's just being incredibly optimistic. "Any discomfort?"

And because he does feel a little discomfort in his chest, he decides to tell her, "Did you know that there's a place in LA that makes donuts as big as cakes?" And when she laughs, he immediately regrets it. So rather than regaling her with another interesting fact she didn't need to know, he answers her question, though one of those huge smiles seems to appear on his face anyway. "Little chest pain. But I think you probably coulda guessed that."

It's cool when she presses her stethoscope to his chest, and feels just like all the others. Except when her fingers accidentally brush across the open front of his gown, and they feel warmer than any fingers he'd ever felt. Maybe because he'd gone so long feeling none but his own. "Your breath is a bit strained," she says, "But again, that's normal." And after another irregular heartbeat, "You seem to be doing relatively well, all things considered." And he swears her voice is nothing short of angelic.

Denny knows she's trying to make him feel upbeat. He's getting a heart today, he thinks, and he focuses on that. "Well hey, a smile can do a world of good, Dr. Stevens," he says in return, as if it's his smile that's giving him the new heart. As if this whole thing doesn't bother him at all. "You should know that."

And then she replies in turn as he hoped -_ assumed_ - she would. " Smiles are a powerful thing," she agrees, looking over his chart, and though he's not positive, he can swear he sees her examining him with her eyes as she pretends to read. "Too bad people don't realise it more."

The room goes silent for a moment, and for one time in his life, Denny Duquette hasn't come up with a single clever thing to say. So for once, he asks an honest-to-god question. "So, what made you wanna be a big-shot surgeon, anyway?"

What he isn't expecting is an _honest-to-god answer_. Maybe the typical, _"I wanted to help people."_ Or, _"Everyone in my family's a surgeon."_ Because that makes sense. That's what everyone else says, as far as he knows - hell, all the doctors he'd seen back home had said something entirely_ fascinating_ like that. But what she says is the last thing he expects, and_ for the first time_ he thinks, maybe he's in love with her.

"I...You know, I grew up in a trailer park," is what she says, and he wonders how something so pure and so...perfect could've come from something that was the entire opposite of how he'd been raised. But he's curious, so he listens without a word. "I was a nobody, with a bare sliver of a future, but I wanted to _be_ someone. I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to help people. I was barely given a future, so I thought I should let people have a chance at continuing theirs." And he thinks that her words are nothing short of beautiful. As if everyone's reasoning should be something like that. Except he knows that they're not, because Dr. Isobel Stevens is special, even if she doesn't even realise it. And it's in that moment that Denny resolves to make her know it.

Because he can barely form words, he retorts with the first thing he can think of. "You got a good heart, Dr. Stevens." And it wasn't meant to be a pun, he thinks, but later on he realises that, with her response, it might as well have been.

She tells him thank you, and says that sooner than he thinks, he'll be getting one too. "Well, a _physical_ one," she admits with a genuine smile, "You definitely have one to begin with." And Denny Duquette thinks that it's probably the closest thing to a compliment he can hope for.

"I know," is his automatic response, along with smile that his lips are quirked up into, "_Told_ you I was really nice," as if it isn't something she's already picked up on. And that award-winning smile is already turned in her direction as he says, "But hey, you 'n Dr. Burke are gonna make sure of that, aren'tcha?" Because it's a scary thing, getting a new heart, and he suspects that she knows that already. Scary, but one-hundred percent worth it. And a one-hundred percent let-down if it's not a go.

He watches her as she rolls her eyes, but more specifically he notices the smile she's trying to hide, and he can't help but think triumphantly that he's gotten through to her. "Yes, we're going to make sure you get that heart," he hears her say, and though he doesn't show it, his already bad heart skips a beat. "No matter what."

There's another pause, and they both look at each other as if they've come to an understanding. "Hey, Dr. Stevens," he says, just as she's turning to leave, and as soon as she turns back, he nods his head slightly and offers her a small smile. "Thanks."

She smiles back, with a quiet, "No problem, Denny," before leaving the room and disappearing down the hall.

And as he rests his back against the annoyingly pasty-white bedsheets, _for the second time_ he thinks, maybe he's in love with her.

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Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it, and of course I'd love a review if you'd care to leave one! Thanks everyone!

~Teddy


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